Places we go, things we do

Where I’m Headed This Weekend

National Geographic makes good travel books that aren’t all about shopping or restaurants

English: A panorama of the museum ship USS Intrepid (CV-11) during Fleet Week 2010 in New York City (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My friend Doug, about three months ago:

“With all of the places you’ve been, you’ve never been to New York City?”

Yes, it’s true. I can count the relatively obscure, as far as travel goes, tiny Kotor Montenegro, and have been repeatedly asked “You went to CROATIA? Why on Earth Croatia?’ but I’ve never been to the largest city in the U.S. That’s changing this weekend.

My good friend Chris the Canadian, with whom I’ve shared tea in Istanbul and cuy in Quito, is celebrating a birthday and decided to visit NYC. I’m meeting him there tomorrow, as is fellow 2DG blogger Kristine kochanski and other people from our common friends pool. One of my best friends Eric goes with his wife at least once a year, usually for one or two weeks (but sometimes just to catch a show on the weekend), so between him and other friends (Kitty used to work at the MOMA), I have some ideas. Chris wants to see the USS Intrepid; we have orchestra section seats to see Bryan Cranston on Broadway in All the Way; Eric, quite the foodie, recommended a couple of restaurants, and some of the friends are local and will have suggestions. I don’t care for modern art (a good friend described the Guggenheim as a very cool Frank Lloyd Wright building, surrounding a lot of crappy art), but I’ve been asked to leave the British Museum so they could lock up, so any kind of science or history place is interesting. And, if you’ve been following us for the past two years, you’ll know that my joy in traveling comes not from trying to cram as much as possible into a short period of time, but to walk for a while, then sit over a coffee or beer and watch the city flow by.

So, walking fast and staying out of the way, not blocking the subway exits, not stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to stare at the tall buildings, and wearing my most comfortable black clothes, I’m off.

best part will be reading about it when you get back!!! I can’t wait to hear your impressions. When I was there with my two daughters, it was in August and very very hot….my younger daughter said “Mom, it smells like New York needs to have it’s litter box changed.” (It did). so let’s hear the bad and the good….